April 2010

April 26, 2010

In addition to Brad Richards' surgery on his hip, the Stars today announced that Trevor Daley and Stephane Robidas each have had arthroscopic surgery to repair labrum tears in their respective shoulders.

The recovery time for each is three months, but Robidas said he already has started light lower body work and believes he will be in great shape in time for training camp in September.

``It's a process and you have to be careful with it, but I know I will still be able to work and keep in shape,'' he said.

NEW YORK (April 26, 2010) -- Kurtis Foster of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Jed Ortmeyer of the San Jose Sharks and Jose Theodore of the Washington Capitals are the three finalists for the 2009-10 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, which is awarded "to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey," the National Hockey League announced today.

A $2,500 grant from the Professional Hockey Writers' Association (PHWA) is awarded annually to the Bill Masterton Scholarship Fund, based in Bloomington, Minnesota, in the name of the Masterton Trophy winner.

Each of the 30 local chapters of the PHWA submitted nominations for the Masterton Trophy at the conclusion of the regular season, with the top three vote-getters designated as finalists. The winner will be announced Wednesday, June 23, during the 2010 NHL Awards that will be broadcast live from the Pearl Concert Theater inside the Palms Hotel Las Vegas on VERSUS in the United States and on CBC in Canada.

Following are the finalists for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, in alphabetical order:

Kurtis Foster, Tampa Bay Lightning

Foster's NHL career was nearly shattered as he fell into the end boards in a game between his Minnesota Wild and San Jose on March 19, 2008. The next day Foster underwent surgery in which a rod was inserted into his left femur to help stabilize a badly broken bone. Following a year of extensive rehabilitation, Foster was back in the game, appearing in 10 late-season games with the Wild. Signed by Tampa Bay as an unrestricted free agent in the off-season, Foster posted career-best totals in games (71), assists (34) and points (42) in 2009-10, topping Lightning defensemen in scoring.

Jed Ortmeyer, San Jose Sharks

Ortmeyer not only has to work hard each shift to ensure he has a place in the NHL, but he also battles a challenging health condition that requires daily attention. At some point each day, Ortmeyer must use a needle to inject a blood thinner directly into his stomach to combat a hereditary blood-clotting disorder that has threatened not only his hockey career but also his life. Ortmeyer first experienced clotting problems in 2001 following knee surgery and has nearly walked away from the game twice, most recently in 2008 when he played for the Predators.

Jose Theodore, Washington Capitals

Theodore had to deal with some adversity on the ice at the end of last season, but that was forgotten when his infant son Chace passed away this summer from complications stemming from his premature birth. Theodore not only regained the starting job, he had his best season since winning the Hart and Vezina Trophies in 2002, capped by a 20-0-3 run over the final three months. What's of greater importance is the way he has handled himself in the dressing room, with fans and the media, and with his new charity "Saves for Kids" which benefits the NICU unit of the hospital Chace spent his entire brief life in.

The Texas Stars will be watching closely tonight for Game 7 between Chicago and Milwaukee in the AHL playoffs.

Texas swept its series with Rockford, and will get the winner of Game 7 in the second round. If Chicago wins, Games 1 and 2 will be in Chicago. If Milwaukee wins, Games 1 and 2 will be in Cedar Park.

Here's a few notes from the Texas Stars PR department:

* Texas is the only team in the Calder Cup playoffs not to allow a goal in the first or second period of play.
* Stars Head Coach Glen Gulutzan is 40-31 all-time in the playoffs for his professional career. In 2008, he guided the ECHL's Las Vegas Wranglers to the Kelly Cup Finals, falling in six games to Cincinnati.
* In the regular season, Texas went 4-3-1-0 against Chicago and 5-3-0-0 against Milwaukee.

April 25, 2010

Brad Richards had arthroscopic surgery in New York this week to repair a torn labrum in his hip and said he is looking at a recovery time of 8-12 weeks.

Richards said he had the surgery now to help keep his summer training plan on schedule. Richards works out in Tampa at a center that's like the Michael Johnson training center in Frisco. He said that training helped him a great deal this season and that he wants to get back into it as quickly as possible.

``This will put me a couple of weeks behind schedule, but that's why I wanted to get it done now,'' Richards said.

Richards said that hip and groin pain bothered him for most of the year, but that they did not affect his performance. He said he was conscientious about maintenance and that allowed him to play through it.

When asked how much difference the surgery will make, he replied: ``It won't make me a better player, but it will make me feel better.''

Allen lost to Rapid City, 5-4 in overtime, in Game 2 of the CHL Finals Saturday night.

That ties the best-of-seven series at 1-1, with action moving to Allen for the next three games. Game 3 will be held Wednesday at Allen Event Center.

Here is the press release:

RAPID CITY, South Dakota - The Americans lost a 5-4 game to the Rapid City Rush tonight in overtime. A three-goal third period effort was not enough to secure a victory at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Arena as the Rush tied the Ray Miron Presidents' Cup Finals at one game apiece.

Neither team scored until 13:45 of the opening frame. Rapid City's Scott Wray notched the first goal of the game. In an evenly matched first period, each team had 15 shots after 20 minutes.

Forward Christian Gaudet tied the score at 9:21 of the second period. The Rush regained their one-goal lead on the power play with a goal from Derek LeBlanc. The tally came with 2:32 remaining in the second. Although behind 2-1, the Americans ended the period with a great scoring opportunity and prepared to battle back in the third.

Allen came out and scored two straight goals. Colton Yellow Horn started the lamp lighting at 2:26, and Bruce Graham gave the Americans their first lead of the game at 9:40. The 3-2 Allen advantage lasted for 45 seconds. Dave Grimson knotted the score at three, but Nino Musitelli gave the Americans the go-ahead goal with 5:27 left in the third frame. The Rush pulled backstop Danny Battochio to put the extra attacker on the ice at the end of the game, and the move paid off when Dave Grimson found the back of the net with 39 seconds left. Grimson's tally forced the game into overtime.

At 4:17 of the first overtime period, Blaine Jarvis scored the game winner to push the Rush over the edge, making the final score 5-4.

Chris Whitley played great in net again tonight and made 52 saves. Battochio stopped 34 shots.

The championship series shifts to Allen for Games Three, Four and Five on April 28, 30 and May 1, respectively. To show the club's appreciation to all its fans, the Americans are offering $2 beers and hot dogs at the last three home games of their inaugural season. Additionally, the first 2,000 fans at each game will receive free thunder sticks, and there will be "Fan Fest" before every game beginning at 5:30 p.m. Festivities include bounce houses, interactive gaming areas, balloon artists and more. All games start at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are available by calling 972-912-1000, going to allenamericans.com or stopping by the Allen Event Center Box Office. The Box Office is open from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Fans interested in tickets to multiple playoff games are encouraged to speak with an Allen Americans representative regarding savings off walk-up prices at 972-912-1000.

April 23, 2010

RAPID CITY, South Dakota - The Allen Americans took a 1-0 series lead in the Ray Miron Presidents' Cup Finals tonight after a 4-1 victory over the Rapid City Rush at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Arena.

Both teams came out firing on all cylinders and treated fans to end-to-end hockey in the first. Midway through the period Tyler Wooddisse had a breakaway but could not covert the scoring opportunity. On the same play, Rapid City came back with a two-on-one rush that netminder Chris Whitley turned away. After one period, the score was tieless with shots favoring Rapid City 13-7.

The Americans' offense exploded in a four-goal second period. Forward Nathan O'Nabigon scored the first goal of the finals at 3:49 of the frame to give Allen a 1-0 lead. Nino Musitelli increased Allen's advantage to two when he scored at 8:57. Rookie Tobias Whelan grabbed the third goal with 3:53 remaining in the period. The Rush replaced Danny Battochio in net with Miguel Beaudry immediately following Whelan's fourth postseason tally. Musitelli grabbed his second of the night on the power play 54 seconds before the second intermission to make it 4-0.

The Rush' Dave Grimson scored with 3:10 left in the game, spoiling Whitley's perfect play. The Americans netminder still emerged with the win and 48 saves. Battochio stopped nine of 12, while Beaudry saved eight of nine shots.

The series continues Saturday night in Rapid City at 8:05 p.m. Fans can take part in the Americans' "Skate to the Finals" event tomorrow that includes a Select-A-Seat, public skate and watching party. For more details, visit www.allenamericans.com . As always, fans can watch Game Two at Boston's The Gourmet Pizza, the official pre-game and away game watching destination.

Playoff Tickets On Sale Now
Fans can purchase playoffs tickets now that start as low as $7. To order, call 972-912-1000 or 1-866-4-GET-TIX (1-866-443-8849), go to gettix.net or stop by the Allen Event Center Box Office. The Box Office is open from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Fans interested in 10 tickets or more to any one game or tickets to multiple games are encouraged to speak with an Allen Americans representative regarding group discounts and savings off walk-up prices at 972.912.1000.

Rockford, IL - The Texas Stars (4-0) defeated the Rockford IceHogs (0-4) 4-2 on Friday night in front of 2,403 fans at the Rockford MetroCentre. The Stars completed the sweep of the Hogs, winning all four games in the best-of-seven series. Stars goalie Brent Krahn (4-0) stopped 38 of 40 Rockford shots in the win. Texas defenseman Andrew Hutchinson scored two power-play goals, helping the Stars advance to the second round for the first time in team history. Forwards Warren Peters and Mathieu Beaudoin also scored as Texas finished the year 10-2-0-0 against Rockford. Rockford's Kyle Beach scored twice, as the IceHogs dropped their 10th straight playoff decision. IceHogs goalie Corey Crawford (0-4) made 20 saves on 23 Stars shots in his fourth straight loss. Texas will play the winner of the Chicago and Milwaukee series. Those two teams will play Game 7 in Chicago on Monday night.

The Stars scored the only goal of the first period, taking a 1-0 lead into the locker room. It marked the fourth straight night that Texas scored the first goal of the game. The Stars worked the puck around the Rockford zone on the power play, striking for a tally at 3:56. Defenseman Andrew Hutchinson snapped a puck from the point, sending a shot through traffic and past IceHogs' goalie Corey Crawford for the 1-0 lead. Hutchinson's first goal of the playoffs was set up by Landon Wilson and Travis Morin.

In the second period, Texas tacked on two more goals to give the Stars a 3-0 lead after two periods of play. The Stars completed a rush with their second goal of the night after a great passing play involving Jamie Benn and Perttu Lindgren, which was finished off by Mathieu Beaudoin. Lindgren dropped off the puck to the right wing and Benn feathered a pass to the left wing for Beaudoin, who buried his second goal in as many nights for a 2-0 Stars lead at 8:38. Less than two minutes later, Texas struck again to open up a 3-0 lead at 10:23. Lindgren played the puck to the point and Hutchinson blasted a one-timer from the high slot for his second goal of the night. Travis Morin picked up the second assist on the power-play goal.

In the third period, Rockford's Kyle Beach put the Hogs on the board with his second goal of the playoffs, trimming the Stars lead to 3-1 at 7:51. Beach added his second goal of the night with 25 seconds left in regulation, bringing Rockford within a goal at 3-2. Texas sealed the win with nine seconds left as Warren Peters scored an empty-net goal at 19:51 for the 4-2 final.

Texas will wait to play the winner of the Milwaukee and Chicago series. The two teams are currently tied 3-3 with Game 7 slated for Monday night in Chicago.

To purchase a Calder Cup playoff package, which offers fans the same seat for all 16 possible home games, fans may call 512-GO-STARS. To rent a suite for a home playoff game or book a group, those interested may call 512-GO-STARS. Individual tickets for playoff games at Cedar Park Center also can be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000, visiting any Ticketmaster outlet or the Cedar Park Center box office, or online at ticketmaster.com.

Tickets for any of the Stars 40 regular season home games at Cedar Park Center are on sale, starting as low as $9.00 a seat. Individual game tickets may be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000, by going online at www.ticketmaster.com or by visiting any local Ticketmaster outlet.
Season ticket packages to see the Stars play their Inaugural season at the Cedar Park Center are on sale now, starting as low as $12.00 a seat. For more information on Texas Stars season tickets call (512) GO-STARS (467-8277) or visit www.TexasStarsHockey.com . Anyone interested in purchasing season tickets, suites, group tickets or mini-plans may call the Texas Stars front office.

I've been trying to do some digging on the sale of the Stars, and it appears the parties are making a concerted effort to go underground.

At this point, this is all I have received, but I figured I would share it with you.

In an e-mail with Tom Hicks, I asked several questions and received this response:

``We are doing the Stars the opposite of MLB/Rangers.....very quietly.''

I asked Bill Daly, the Deputy Commissioner of the NHL, these two questions and received these two answers:

Who is in charge of the sale of the Dallas Stars at this time?

Here is Bill Daly's response: ``Tom Hicks''

Does the debt situation surrounding Monarch Alternative Capital and Hicks Sports Group affect how the NHL will interact in the deal with the Stars?

Daly: ``No.''

When I sent a new e-mail to Tom Hicks about the responses I received from Bill Daly and asked what the difference between the Stars' sale and Rangers' sale might be, Hicks responded:

``No comments, Mike. We will handle quietly.''

Hicks Sports Group has enlisted Galatioto Sports Partners to be the broker in this deal, and they have not returned the calls of our business department.

We have talked about the group that is led by Billy Quinn, Jim Lites and Mike Modano and I believe there are two other groups who are serious about the sale. I talked to Lites today and he also said that he would not be commenting on the proceedings going forward.

I have placed several calls to the two other people I believe are interested in buying the Stars and neither has returned those calls. Because I cannot confirm to our standards whether those two indeed have interest, I can't report who they are.

I'll keep working, but I just wanted to share with you the updates and the fact the NHL says they are handling this differently than the way Major League Baseball has. I would think they would all be intertwined because of the lenders and Hicks Sports Group, but for now the NHL appears to feel they have the sale under control. Hicks said in an e-mail a week ago that the process is in the very early stages with the Stars.

The NHL released finalists for the Norris Trophy today, given to the player adjudged to be the best defenseman in the NHL.

Here is the press release:

NEW YORK (April 23, 2010) -- Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings, Mike Green of the Washington Capitals and Duncan Keith of the Chicago Blackhawks are the three finalists for the 2009-10 James Norris Memorial Trophy, which is awarded "to the defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position," the National Hockey League announced today.

The members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association submitted ballots for the James Norris Memorial Trophy at the conclusion of the regular season, with the top three vote-getters designated as finalists. The winner will be announced Wednesday, June 23, during the 2010 NHL Awards that will be broadcast live from the Pearl Concert Theater inside the Palms Hotel Las Vegas on VERSUS in the United States and on CBC in Canada.

Following are the finalists for the Norris Trophy, in alphabetical order:

Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings

Doughty, who won't turn 21 until Dec. 8, is vying to become the second-youngest Norris Trophy winner -- Bobby Orr won his first of a record eight at 20 years, 3 months of age. With 59 points, Doughty ranked third in the NHL in scoring among defensemen, behind fellow finalists Mike Green and Duncan Keith. Doughty's 16 goals -- including five game-winners, tops among NHL defensemen -- tied him with Nashville's Shea Weber for second most among League blueliners behind Green's 19. He logged 24:58 of ice time per game, which led the Kings and ranked 13th among all NHL players, and posted a plus-20 rating.

Mike Green, Washington Capitals

Runner-up to Zdeno Chara for the 2009 Norris Trophy, Green followed up his 31-goal 2008-09 season by leading NHL defensemen in both goals (19) and points (76) for the second straight year. He led the League's blueliners in assists (57) and power-play goals (10), quarterbacking the NHL's most lethal man-up unit -- Washington's 79 power-play goals were nine more than any other team and its 25.2-percent success rate easily outpaced the competition. Green also ranked among the League's top 10 defensemen in plus/minus (second, plus-39), game-winning goals (second, four) and average ice time (ninth, 25:28).

Duncan Keith, Chicago Blackhawks

Keith played all 82 games this season for the third time in his five-year NHL career. In doing so, he logged a total of 2,180:24 of ice time, the most among all NHL players. Having steadily increased his production each year, he took his offense to another level this season, registering career highs in goals (14), assists (55) and points (69). Keith ranked second to Washington's Mike Green among NHL defensemen in assists and points. He posted a plus-21 rating and is plus-84 over the last three seasons.

History

The James Norris Memorial Trophy was presented in 1953 by the four children of the late James Norris in memory of the former owner-president of the Detroit Red Wings.

Announcement Schedule

The NHL will announce the three finalists for each of its awards daily. The remaining announcement schedule:

The fight for the Ray Miron President's Cup begins tonight in Rapid City, South Dakota at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center Arena when the Northern Conference Champion Rapid City Rush face-off against the Allen Americans. The Rush finished with the highest point total in the Northern Conference during the regular season (93) and the Americans finished second in the Southern Conference with 89 points.

History:
This marks the first visit to the finals for both franchises who are both in the infant stages as teams in the Central Hockey League. The Rush are playing in their second season improving by 40 points from their first season to second season. For the Americans, they make it to the CHL Finals in their expansion season becoming just the third CHL/WPHL team to play for the championship in their first season joining the 2000 Indianapolis Ice (won CHL championship), the 1997 WPHL's Fort Worth Brahmas and the 1995 CHL San Antonio Iguanas.

Path to the Finals:
Rapid City has played 11 post-season games sweeping the Missouri Mavericks in four games during the Northern Conference Semifinals and then won in seven games over the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs in the Northern Conference Finals. Allen has gone seven games in each of their first two series' beating the Laredo Bucks in the Southern Conference Semifinals and the Odessa Jackalopes in the Southern Conference Finals.

CHL Playoff Brackets

Regular Season:
The Rush won the Northern Conference by two points over the Colorado Eagles finishing with a 43-14-7 record and 93 points. Rapid City's 51 points earned on home ice was the second highest point total (Odessa, 54 points). On the road, the Rush were tied for the second highest point total with 42. Allen had 89 points in the regular season with a 42-17-5 record. The Americans were 23-5-4 at home with 50 points (third most in the league) and away from home they were 19-12-1, 39 points. The match-up features one of the top offenses in the league in Rapid City (3.95 goals/game, third in the CHL) against the second best defense in the league (Allen allowed 2.86 goals/game, second in the CHL).

CHL Standings

Coaching:
The Rush are led by the 2010 CHL Coach of the Year Joe Ferras who is 226-179-39 in his CHL coaching career. He won the yearly honor for the league's top coach by just two points over Allen's first-year bench boss, Dwight Mullins.

Special Teams:
Rapid City's power play was the fourth best in the league at 19.5% connecting on 64 of 329 chances. There was little variance from the home to road marks as they were 19.8% successful at home and 19.1% on the road. On the penalty kill, the Rush were second in the CHL at 85.4% including the best home penalty kill in the CHL (87.1%). For the Americans, they were sixth in the league on the power play at 16.9% and sixth on the penalty kill at 83.4%. Each team scored eight shorthanded goals during the regular season.

Who's Hot:
Allen's Justin Bowers has 14 points in his last six games scoring five goals with nine assists over that stretch. The CHL All-Star is tied for the league lead with 23 points (8-15=23) in the post-season. His line mate, Nino Musitelli, is fourth in the CHL with 19 points (9-10=19) with his nine goals sitting as the second most in the playoffs. For the Rush, Scott Wray (5-11=16) and Les Reaney (6-10=16) each have 16 points in the playoffs leading their team. Reaney leads all players with three game winning goals. In net, both Danny Battochio (RPD) and Chris Whitley (ALN) have been in net for all of their team's wins. Both players are rookies finishing one, two in the regular season in wins (Whitley had 31 and Battochio had 28).

Head to Head:
The Rush won two of the three regular season meetings topping the Americans 6-1 in Allen on January 15 and then splitting a two-game series in Rapid City on March 12 and 13. Allen won the first meeting in overtime, 5-4, and the Rush rebounded the next night with a 5-4 win in regulation. Rapid City's Les Reaney led all scorers in the series with five points (2-3=5) and teammate Brendan Cook led all players with three goals. Nino Musitelli (Allen) led his club with four points (2-2=4). Special teams showed a big discrepancy in the series with Rapid City going scoreless in 11 power play chances versus the Americans and Allen posting four PP goals in 14 chances.